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Brian Kelly spoke at SEC Media Days on Monday, kicking off the event in Nashville. The head coach is entering his second season in the SEC having led the Tigers to a conference championship game appearance in Year 1.
Fans around college football were eager to hear what Kelly had to say as he looks to get LSU back to the playoff in 2023.
And there are certainly pieces in place to do so. Most notably, quarterback Jayden Daniels is back after throwing for 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions a year ago. He also added 885 yards on the ground as he returns as the Tigers’ leading rusher.
On defense, star pass rusher Harold Perkins also comes back after racking up 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss as a freshman.
It won’t be easy, though.
LSU opens with Florida State, a team it lost to last season. They then face Alabama, Texas A&M, and Florida in SEC play before a potential rematch with Georgia in the conference title contest.
Kelly was asked specifically about the talent gap that exists between UGA and his own team in Baton Rouge. Here’s what he had to say.
“Is the gap closing? We’ll only have that opportunity if we get into the championship game vs. Georgia. I know based on how we’ve recruited we’ll have a football roster that will be able to compete against Georgia. Is that right now? No, it’s not.”
That gap was noticeable in LSU’s 50-30 loss to the Bulldogs last year.
Brian Kelly talks about adjusting to life in the SEC.
Kelly was a bit of a surprise to land in the SEC after spending 12 seasons at Notre Dame. In fact, he’d spent his entire head coaching career in the Midwest before making the move to Baton Rouge.
As you’d imagine, that meant a lot of change in terms of recruiting, scheduling, and everyday life in general.
The head coach addressed the scorching Louisiana summer heat while stepping up to the podium before getting into some things he noticed in his first year at LSU.
Of note, he talked about the road-game environments seen last year, shouting out The Swamp and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.
Brian Kelly says that playing road games in the SEC was something that he couldn’t possibly prepare for. He specified Auburn and Florida as particularly wild.
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) July 17, 2023
This year, he’ll get to experience a gameday in Tuscaloosa.
And it wouldn’t have been SEC Media Days without a question about Brian Kelly’s famed southern accent. He had some fun with the media on Monday.
“I think my accent is pretty good and has gotten better during the recruiting process,” Kelly said.
Fans will let him speak however he pleases if he continues to lead LSU in the right direction.